Divine Mercy Novena Reminder!

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Just giving all my readers a heads up that the Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday.

This is an excellent annual novena to take yourself on the journey to Divine Mercy Sunday, that annual festival wherein we bathe ourselves in the ocean of mercy that is God’s love and forgiveness.

No matter how bad a sinner you may have been, there is no sin that God cannot forgive, no sinner that God will not take back in His loving, merciful arms. The only barrier is pride and lack of humility and repentance.

Information on how to pray the Novena is in the link in the first sentence; information on Divine Mercy Sunday is in the link in the second paragraph. And in that last link there is a reminder to yours truly: “I posted before about this day, and perhaps next year I will, God willing, post more in the days leading up to it.” So, all righty, then. “NOTE TO SELF: post a bunch of stuff next week on Divine Mercy Sunday!” 😉

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Mother Angelica, three years after

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Today marks the third anniversary of the death of Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, the founder of the EWTN Catholic media empire.

If you enjoy reading this blog, you can thank her because the primary reason I am a Catholic today is because of her network and the shows on it.

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I had left the Church years before, thinking that organized religion was bunk. “I don’t need it, I can go to God directly by my own path.” Um, yeah, right. Anyway, I told my Reversion story before, so I won’t repeat it (read that link if you want to know more.) But EWTN was a critical part of my reversion in that when I sobered up, as I elaborated that element in Mother Angelica of EWTN dies, Easter Sunday 2016, quote:

“Mother Angelica was, to say the least, a significant factor in my reversion to the Catholic Church in 2002. It was a process that stretched over several years, but ultimately came to fruition when I was felled by my alcoholism and would up doing nothing but laying on my Mom’s couch for weeks on end as I was too ill to go anywhere and do anything. Mom watched EWTN every morning, mainly the Daily Mass and several devotional programs, particularly the Divine Mercy Chaplet. All of that, as well as Father Angelus Shaughnessy’s homilies and Father Benedict Groeschel’s programs. These all helped me straighten out my thinking.

My Mom had taught the Divine Mercy Chaplet to me during the years before my reversion and recovery. I think Mom knew something wasn’t quite right concerning my relationship to the Church, but she never said anything. Maybe she just taught it to me because I didn’t know it. Whatever, God knew, though! Mother Angelica’s broadcast of the Divine Mercy Chaplet devotion as well as the annual Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations from Eden Hill, MA slowly drew me back home. Although I wasn’t practicing the Faith, the annual Divine Mercy Sunday telecast was an annual event. I actually looked forward to it. The seeds were planted and slowly took root. Alcohol masked the interior growth. When I finally succumbed to it, being too physically weak to go anywhere, exposure to EWTN finally brought the Faith out from the dark nether regions of my soul where it had lain dormant.

Mother Angelica and EWTN helped me a lot in early recovery when I knew AA’s 12 Steps weren’t going to be enough. I had looked at them, thought them interesting and valuable, but felt they were at the shallow end of the spiritual pool. I needed something deeper. EWTN illustrated to me that Catholicism wasn’t something that you did for an hour on Sunday, but was a way of life, infusing your heart and mind with a manner of living and thinking that draws you closer to God, and ultimately, to our true Home, Heaven.

She had much to say about how to apply the Faith to daily living. Several books of hers directly dealt with problems and coping and just “How do I get through this…life…?” I have them all.”

…and also in Second Anniversary of Mother Angelica’s Death, quote:

“She has grown in importance for me. I have read both of her biographies written by Raymond Arroyo and have read (and studied) several of her books. I highly recommend getting “Mother Angelica’s Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality;” “Mother Angelica’s Private and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures;” and “The Prayers and Personal Devotions of Mother Angelica.” All are available through EWTN Publishing. They are a wealth of spiritual wisdom. The treasures contained within are gems you can mine for years to come. Mother Angelica was a soul who connected with those who were on the margins, downtrodden, beaten by life. In general, people who were broken, wounded, hurt and lost. Sound familiar? The spiritual guidance contained in those three books can greatly help you get through anything. “

In addition to the books mentioned above, there is also seven anthologies of her “mini-books” written in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the 1970s. They can be found here: Spiritual Wisdom of Mother Angelica. There is also: Mother Angelica’s Answers, Not Promises.” (NOTE: I am only recommending them, I do NOT get anything from EWTN for promoting them.)  Like I said in the previous paragraph, “The spiritual guidance contained in all of her books can greatly help you get through anything.” And I mean that. There is a depth of wisdom and compassion and understanding that is astonishing. Mother Angelica got people. She knew about us, those on the outside. And she spoke to us there her own programs and in those hosted on her radio and TV channels.

I miss her.

 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

A Lenten Journey with Matt Talbot

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The Venerable Matt Talbot Resource Center recommends in A Lenten Journey with Venerable Matt Talbot that:

“In addition to any planned Lenten reading, we also recommend reading Matt Talbot – A Lenten Journey (2014), a resource compiled by Fr. Brian Lawless,Vice-Postulator for the cause of Venerable Matt Talbot, and Caroline Eaton.”

It can be read in its entirety only at Matt Talbot a Lenten Journey.”

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Lent 2019

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I’m all prepared for Lent. I’ve been to Confession twice in the past ten days; by no means am I bragging,  (who does regarding Confession?) but when I went ten days ago it was the first time I had been in two months. That was the longest Confession-less streak since I sobered up and reverted in 2002. I flew out of Church, happy as a clam on Fridays outside of Lent and feeling so liberated. This past Sunday there was a chance offering of the sacrament after my Latin Mass, so I went again. Didn’t really need to but I wanted to “clear the pipes” as it was close to Ash Wednesday. Again, I felt lighter and freer. 

Confession is awesome. And I mean “awesome” in the typical sense of being awe-inspiring. You approached God for His Mercy, being aware of His Justice. You humbled yourself, admitted to being a sinner, confessed and was washed in the graces of His absolution. How can anyone resist going? Granted, it is difficult if you go once a year or so; if you go frequently, like I typically do at least once a month, then you develop a relationship with Jesus and appreciate that oftentimes He speaks through His priest. I am aware that people have had bad experiences with some priests in Confession; the solution to that is go find another. Ask around. It’s worth travelling for.

I am not sure as to how often I’ll blog during this season; typically Lent is an active time for me here at Sober Catholic. Some years I blog daily, or nearly so; others, not so much. For those readers who are new, here is a link to all of my past Lenten posts:

Lenten post archive.

Another thing to do for your daily spiritual uplift is read the Daily Mass Readings (going to Mass every day during Lent is the best Lenten practice if you can do it, apart from personal prayer, fasting and almsgiving.) There are three sources for daily Mass readings: USCCB Daily Readings and Vatican Daily readings. They’re the same. For the daily readings according to the Extraordinary Rite (the “Traditional Latin Mass”) there’s this: Traditional Mass Daily Readings

I had said in a previous post on Septuagesima that I wasn’t sure as to what I’ll “give up” or “do for Lent.” I decided that I will not give up social media; rather, I’ll abstain from social media until I have accomplished certain needed things (blogging, writing, reading.) Once I’ve reached whatever goal I’ve set, I’ll maybe login to Facebook, etc. I told a friend that the best Lenten practices are those that you can continue doing after Lent is over. Otherwise, it’s like a diet that you’ve started to lose a certain amount of weight. However, once you’ve lost the desired amount, you return to your previous eating habits and what happens? You regain the lost weight. So, the best Lenten practices are those that can be maintained even after Lent is over. Why? Because Lent forces us to be cognizant of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ. Christians are supposed to adapt that into their lives.

Matthew 16:24-25 “Then Jesus said to his disciples: “If anyone is willing to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever would save his life, will lose it. But whoever will have lost his life for my sake, shall find it.”

Courtesy Sacred Bible: Catholic Public Domain Version

Countless saints have remarked that meditating on the Lord’s Passion is amongst the most grace-filled devotions. Adapting the lessons of the Passion to our daily lives is the best way to grow closer to our Lord and Saviour (a repeated theme of this blog.)

Perhaps I’ll blog on that a few times a week…

Remember, another popular Lenten practice is The Stations of the Cross.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Septuagesima Season: Lenten preparation

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Yesterday was Septuagesima Sunday according to the Liturgical calendar for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (The so-called “Tridentine Rite,” or “Latin Mass” people.)

Septuagesima is a distinct Liturgical season in the Church, observed everywhere within it prior to 1970. It is essentially a time of preparation for Lent. The Church considers Lent such an important season that we have 17 days to plan and prepare for how we will best make use of it. How will we try and get the most out of it, spiritually and personally?

Lent happens to be the period when I blog the most, given that this blog is about spiritual development and growing closer to God (mostly with regard to maintaining sobriety.) Last year I started attending a Latin Mass, and that has become the chief means by which I worship.”Tradition” is slowly creeping into this blog. 😉

So, what are your plans for Lent? Start thinking now! Perhaps Septuagesima is a time when you can “get out of the way” certain things that you’ll fast from. (For example, I have a few hours to myself this afternoon, I was planning on making headway through a binge-watching of an old science-fiction TV series, “Firefly,” as I am thinking of giving up DVD watching for Lent. I changed my mind and instead am blogging and doing some other online work.)

Septuagesima can be when you think about Lent, figure out those areas in your spiritual and religious life where you need improvement. In short, perhaps a “trial run” of your Lenten practices so that when Lent does start, time isn’t wasted.

I am considering fasting from social media and perhaps DVD watching. There’s too much noise and drama on social networks, and some people can be toxic. There is something to consider; the time spent on social media can be used to do other things I’ve neglected.

(Bear in mind, Sundays are not considered a part of Lent, so I may “catch up” then. Or perhaps not…)

Much to think about.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

A word on Suffering and Providence

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The year 2019 is three weeks old. It has not been a good year for me so far. I will not go into details apart from sufferings from bad weather and extended power outages, some trouble with family members that required the attention of police, and transportation issues. May as well toss in some health concerns while I’m at it.

My typical reaction has been a common and understandable one: “This year sucks already and I can’t wait for 2020.” Not a great way to begin a year, wishing it was already over.

However, through it all God’s Providence has shown itself. The Lord has carried us through all the “stuff” so far, and done so marvelously. In one issue He had helped us in a way I wouldn’t have bothered to script, thinking “It doesn’t happen that way.” (For a variety of reasons I won’t describe the issue.)

This all had me thinking. Especially as every time I think “This year sucks…” I get a feeling that I am being ungrateful. And so I thought about that.

Therefore I have tried to start thinking rather than regard 2019 as a Year of Hell and I Wish It Would Just End Already; I am instead going to start thinking that it might be a year in which God works His Divine Providence in my life (and perhaps my wife’s life and a few others’) in an awesome manner.

Perhaps that’s just “wishful thinking” to help me cope with a sucky year. 😉 But then again, we are supposed to have Faith. We are supposed to Trust in Jesus; have faith and confidence that He will show His Mercy and Love (and Justice) and will take care of our needs.

So that’s it: from now on I will just accept suffering as a way for God to show His Providence in my life. This is not new or original. It is a basic concept from the Gospel and Catholicism. All Christians are supposed to “take up our cross and follow Him.” Some people do this and grip their cross firmly, almost as if they were crucified to it. Others grip it but just hold onto it and cope. And still others drag it along resentfully behind them. (This is actually an image described by a saint in his or her writings; I’m wracking my brain but I can’t think of who it is. Perhaps the “Imitation of Christ?” “Divine Intimacy?” If I discover the source I’ll update the post. If any reader recognizes it, email me or post the info in a comment.)

UPDATE: Turns out it was neither the “Imitation of Christ” or “Divine Intimacy.” Rather, it was in St. Faustina Kowalska’s diary, “Divine Mercy in My Soul.” I rediscovered it during a recent rereading of that text. (Buy it if you don’t already have it. Don’t just read it; study it.)

Found in paragraph 446, it goes (words in bold are Jesus’):

“Then I saw the Lord Jesus nailed to the cross. When He had hung on it for a while, I saw a multitude of souls crucified like Him. Then I saw a second multitude of souls, and a third. The second multitude were not nailed to [their] crosses, but were holding them firmly in their hands. The third were neither nailed to [their] crosses nor holding them firmly in their hands, but were dragging [their] crosses behind them and were discontent. Jesus then said to me, Do you see these souls? Those who are like Me in the pain and contempt they suffer will be like Me also in glory. And those who resemble Me less in pain and contempt will also bear less resemblance to Me in glory.

Among the crucified souls, the most numerous were those of the clergy. I also saw some crucified souls whom I knew, and this gave me great joy. Then Jesus said to me, In your meditation tomorrow, you shall think about what you have seen today. And immediately Jesus disappeared on me.”

I wrote twice before on this: Just Enough and Crucible of Faith

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

On Baptism

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This is a post I made today on Hozana, in the Matt Talbot Prayer Group:

“Today the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite celebrated the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. When we are baptised, whether as infants or as adult converts, we are “born again,” born into the life of grace and we become the adopted sons and daughters of the Father.

We can take this to heart as people suffering from addictions; when we recover, we are “born anew,” ready to recover a life we are meant to lead. If you are a member of this Group,” (or, a reader of this blog) “because someone else in your life is an addict or alcoholic, then you may be a witness to their rebirth.

Everyone of us begins each day anew; each day is another chance to start afresh. Each day we can contemplate our baptism and what it means for us to be children of God. Rather than regard our baptism as something that happened at some point in the past, or was just a nice ceremony welcoming us into the Church, we can look to it for inspiration to resist sin, start anew and grow closer to God. We are His children. That is a profound declaration. Many can spend years meditating on that fact.

Start again! Here is a “Renewal of Baptismal Promises:”

V. Do you reject Satan?

R. I do.

V. And all his works?

R. I do.

V. And all his empty promises?

R. I do.

V. Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth?

R. I do.

V. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?

R. I do.

V. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

R. I do.

V. God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven all our sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever.

R. Amen.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Announcing the “Matt Talbot Prayer Group”

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A few weeks ago I was invited to join Hozana, an online prayer community. It is an online gathering space for Catholics and other Christians to come together in prayer and mutual encouragement. It isn’t a social network on the order of a Facebook, MeWe or whatever else is out there, but you can follow others and communicate with them. Activity is centered around prayer communities which are ordered towards novenas and other liturgical seasons, as well as ongoing prayer necessities. There is also a “prayer intentions” feed where members can post prayer requests which remain available for 48 hours (you can always repost, if needed). Members click on a prayer intention which opens up in a little window. A virtual candle lights up underneath the intention and it changes color slowly from bottom to “flame.” Then you click “Amen” and if you wish, continue on to another intention that interests you. The person is notified that you prayed for them. The same for when you post an intention; you’ll get notified when people pray for you! It way cool.

It lacks the noise and obnoxiousness of other social media sites. It’s quiet and I typically reserve one browser tab for Hozana. I pin the tab to one side and return every so often to see who else needs praying for, or visit one of the many communities that interest me. And speaking of which…

The invitation to join Hozana came from a nice lady who volunteers for it; she found this blog and thought I would find Hozana useful as there are many prayer requests involving alcoholism and addictions. Maybe I could start a prayer community for these people, and share stuff from this blog and whatever else that’s helpful? Boy, could I!!!!! And so I did!

So, here is YOUR personal invitation to join Hozana and become a part of the Matt Talbot Prayer Group! Here’s the link for Hozana (in English, the site also has Spanish, French and Portuguese versions): Hozana. And here is the link for the prayer group: Matt Talbot Prayer Group. My profile: Me

From the description I wrote: “Welcome to the Matt Talbot Prayer Group! Join us in prayer and fellowship as we encourage one another in our sobriety and recovery from addictions!

Hebrews 3:13 “…exhort one another every day, while it is still called ‘today’…”

Romans 12:2 “And do not choose to be conformed to this age, but instead choose to be reformed in the newness of your mind, so that you may demonstrate what is the will of God: what is good, and what is well-pleasing, and what is perfect.” (Both from the Douay-Rheims Bible)

Prayers, linked articles, images, quotes from Scripture, the Catechism and the writings of Saints and others that can be useful in your recovery journey will be occasionally posted here. PLEASE make use of the comments section of the posts to reach out to one another!

Our patron is the Venerable Matt Talbot, an Irishman who lived from 1856-1925. A drunkard, he “took the pledge” to quit drinking after his friends one day refused to loan him money to buy liquor. This worked for a while, but it wasn’t until he decided to transfer his love for the drink onto Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary that his sobriety took hold. He was a daily Mass goer and had a profound prayer life. Matt exemplified the recovery values of acknowledging your weakness over addiction and the need for God to come in and restore your life and help you to amend and rebuild it, years before any modern recovery movements were founded.”

I may recruit one or more people to assist in running it. One thing that distinguishes Hozana from other social sites or even traditional discussion forums is that only administrators and moderators can start discussion topics, members can only reply in the comments; so it would help if there are is more than one person running things to keep it active. I have ideas as to whom I may recruit. (I have to know you fairly well.)

A side note for those readers who have been with me for over a decade: I have tried for almost ten years to develop a sustainable online community for Catholics suffering from addictions. Only the first one was any good but it had to be terminated because the platform it was on abolished free communities. As I could not afford to host it with them, it was axed. No successors really had the activity and charm of that first one back in 2008-10. 🙁 This one is different as it isn’t my idea. It wasn’t my will to create it; the suggestion came from someone else, and hence it may be in greater conformity with God’s Will. We’ll see. But regardless, sign up! The link is there, the invitation is open, and the people who run Hozana are nice and friendly. (It is based in France.)

See you there!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Ember Days for Advent

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Last September I mentioned the traditional liturgical practice of Ember Days. This week marks the series of days for Advent. They fall today, December 19th and this Friday and Saturday, December 21st and 22nd.

From the Catholic Encyclopedia on New Advent:
“Ember days (corruption from Lat. Quatuor Tempora, four times) are the days at the beginning of the seasons ordered by the Church as days of fast and abstinence. They were definitely arranged and prescribed for the entire Church by Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085) for the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after 13 December (S. Lucia), after Ash Wednesday, after Whitsunday, and after 14 September (Exaltation of the Cross). The purpose of their introduction, besides the general one intended by all prayer and fasting, was to thank God for the gifts of nature, to teach men to make use of them in moderation, and to assist the needy.”

That they fall immediately before the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord (a/k/a “Christmas”) is no coincidence. We can use the Ember Days practice of prayer, fasting and abstinence to put the finishing touches on our Advent preparations for Jesus’ Coming.

Use this “mini Lent” to clear out the cruft in your life, to help develop your interior life to better listen to the “still, small voice” of God speaking to you from within. As I said in that September post, any Lenten practice you use for fasting and abstinence will work. Fasting in this instance need not be from food, but could be from behaviour. Fast from profanity, from TV watching, Internet use (well, after you read this post 😉 ) or something else that may get in the way.

May God bless you and keep you safe from harm and may Christmas this year (and all years) be a time of focusing more on Jesus and less on commercialism and materialism. He did not Incarnate so that we can buy stuff.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Blogging!

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OK, this isn’t an apology for not having blogged in six weeks or so. I have been busy with things, namely the usual stuff like home life and day job… but also I’ve been getting lost in my reading. In no order of importance I’ve been engrossed in a second reading of “Story of a Soul” by St. Therese of Lisieux, which lead me to order and begin reading numerous other books containing her writings, letters and poetry. I have a much better understanding of her “Doctrine of the Little Way,” which has inspired be to cobble some notes for Sober Catholic blogposts. The Little Way is an intrinsic part of “Sober Catholic” recovery, and followers of the Matt Talbot Way of Sobriety use it. But I haven’t talked about it nearly as much as I should have, but once I organize the notes there should be a few posts on it.

I also have been reading the inspirational and spiritual writings of Mother Angelica (EWTNs Foundress.) Specifically, her Doctrine of the Present Moment. Mental notes have been compiled for posts here on that. The Doctrine of the Present Moment can be a critical and essential survival mechanism for people in recovery. It will go a long way towards healing memories and alleviating fears and anxieties of the future.

When these posts will be published is up in the air, but they will be written.

I’ve dived into other books, but those by St. Therese and Mother Angelica had been foremost among them. But reading has taken up quite a lot of time and hence I hadn’t been here at all.

One thing I have been thinking is whether I should continue blogging; that perhaps this is self-serving and if it is truly God’s Will that I blog, then perhaps I’d be doing it more. But one thing I’ve discerned about God’s Will is that “productivity” is a human virtue. Granted, there have been countless saints who have been “productive” by human standards as a direct result of following His Will, but I think I’ve been thinking of “productivity” more along the lines of its human virtues.

The fact that I sat up in bed during the 3AM hour thinking “Today is the Ember Wednesday in Advent! and I forgot to write about it for the blog like I promised back in September is perhaps proof that I am in fact a blogger. That I am blogging early-ish in the morning on a work day, when I should be doing my morning prayers (they were interrupted, some had to be done before blogging to start the morning with God) and having breakfast is perhaps more proof. A few weeks from now will mark my 12th Bloggaversary, so that may be another indication. So, yeah, I’ll be doing this until they pry a computer from my cold, dead hands…

NOTE: I’ve backdated this post so that the one on Ember Wednesday in Advent appears as the most recent for now.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)